Head for the hills

Student Activities prepares for upcoming Arctic 5k

If your idea of an enjoyable Saturday morning includes freezing temperatures, steep hills and an increased heart rate, then look no further than Student Activities’ Arctic 5k Trail Race, scheduled for Jan. 28, 2012, at the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre.

The tagline for the race is “Ice, Sweat & Tears,” and according to Josh Yeoman, associate director of Student Activities, the Arctic 5k will match that title. Despite the race’s short length, he said that runners will find that the course provides a considerable level of difficulty, namely within the elevation changes.

“It’s straight up, straight down, with big hill climbs,” Yeoman said.

Yeoman, who is in charge of designing Student Activities’ races, stated that a rise in the popularity of high-intensity races among runners was influenced while mapping out the Arctic 5k. The race is the most recent addition to the Liberty Mountain Trail Series, he said.

Student employee Emilee Forner, who worked at several of last year’s races, echoed Yeoman’s comments on the difficulty of the course.

“This is going to be one that (the runners) should expect a challenge from,” she said.

The Arctic 5k will be the first of three trail races for the semester, said Yeoman, with an additional three scheduled for the fall. Runners that compete in all six races this year will receive a T-shirt for their participation, he said.

As with previous races, the Arctic 5k is expected to attract the same crowd – a crowd that student employee Jake Holland called “very motivational.” Holland said that the most enjoyable aspect of the races for him is “everyone there, supporting their friends.”

Yeoman furthered Holland’s point.

“It’s so fun to see people who have never run a race come into it a little worried, and come out of it feeling accomplished,” he said.

Runners interested in registering for the race, both students and the general public, can find registration forms at liberty.edu/sa. According to the website, advance registration for students is $10, or $15 on race day, and runners who register prior to Jan. 20 will receive an Arctic 5k race T-shirt.

“We feel like putting on a good event is an excellent thing in and of itself,” Yeoman said.

If you enjoy braving the elements instead of the alarm clock, then the Arctic 5k could be a very good event for you.